The present invention relates in general to an apparatus for dispensing pesticides, and more particularly to an outdoor insect bait station adapted to be anchored securely in the ground.
One of the most popular and effective methods of combating crawling insects is the use of bait which is commonly positioned around or near the insect nest or near where insects gather food. According to their usual food gathering habits, crawling insects will feed on the poisonous bait and take some of the bait with them back to their nests or homes where the bait is shared with other insects, preferably the queen, and as a result kill a large number of insects. Exposure to outside elements, however, can reduce the life as well as the effectiveness of bait since it can be washed away and/or diluted by rain or when a person waters a lawn, garden or the like. Bait can also be rendered less effective by being blown away by the wind, or spilled as a result of inquisitive household pets, lawn mowers or other undesirable means.
Various devices typically referred to as insect bait stations have been utilized to present bait to crawling insects, and are well known. Typical examples of outdoor insect bait stations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,837,861; 4,277,907; 4,485,582; 5,325,626; 5,746,021; 5, 918,410; 6,164,010; 6,219,960; 6,298,597; 6,401,384; 6,467,216; 6,474,016 and 6,497,070. Each of the bait stations disclosed in the above patents generally includes a sealable container and a spike or stake attached thereto for insertion into the ground. A plurality of access holes are provided either in the stake or in the container which allow the crawling insects to enter the interior of the container to feed on the poisonous bait. There remains a need, however, for an improved outdoor insect bait station.
The present invention provides a bait station for offering a bait to a target insect comprising an open top base, a cap closing the open top base and a spike extending downwardly from the base. The base includes a floor, an outer wall that extends upwardly from the floor to an outer rim, and an inner wall that extends upwardly from the floor to an inner rim. The inner wall is spaced inwardly from the outer wall and defines a central bait well for containing insect bait. The base further includes an insect climbable tapered wall extending downwardly and outwardly from the inner wall that cooperates with the outer wall to define a moat that surrounds the bait well, and at least one doorway formed in the outer wall of a size sufficient to permit a target insect ingress to and egress from the bait well.
Since rain and other water can get into outdoor bait stations, the present invention provides a moat that surrounds the bait well and the tapered wall slants downwardly so that water entering the device collects in the moat and will flow to the lowest point of the moat. The doorways formed in the outer wall open to the lowest point in the moat and thus the doorways simultaneously provide the target insects with access to the bait well and also allow any moisture collecting in the moat to drain out from the moat through the doorways.
The bait well inner rim extends higher than the top or lintel of the doorway. As a result, if a puddle of water does form around the entire bait station, as for example in a thunderstorm or if a lawn is watered, the cap traps a bubble of air that extends slightly below the inner bait well rim. Thus, water can never flow into the bait well, an arrangement that allows the bait to remain dry and undiluted.
The cap is designed to span the open top of the base and cover the bait well. The cap includes a rim extending downwardly from the periphery of the cap ceiling which is designed to be received within the outer base wall surrounding the moat. This makes the cap much more difficult to pry off, and helps to avoid accidental opening of the bait station.
The cap includes interlocking means for releasably connecting the rim of the cap with the outer wall of the base. This interlocking means comprises an outwardly extending cap retention ledge on the cap rim, and an inwardly extending base wall retention ledge on the outer base wall. The cap and base wall retention ledges are engaged in a snap fit arrangement when the cap is inserted into the base so as to resist removal of the cap from the base. In addition, cap supports on the inside of the outer base wall have support surfaces that engage the rim of the cap and prevent the cap from being pushed too far into the base. This insures that the cap ceiling remains sufficiently above the bait well rim that insects can obtain access to the bait by crawling up the tapered wall, over the well rim and into the central bait well. The cap also includes cap struts extending across the underside of the cap ceiling and downwardly therefrom. The cap struts engage the inner well rim of the base to support the cap ceiling and to enable force exerted downwardly against the cap to be transmitted via the cap strut to the well wall and thereby to the spike.
The above advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the drawings, as well as from the description of claims which follow.